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South Korea could be the first country in the world to implement a 'robot tax'

South Korea could be the first country in the world to implement a 'robot tax'

Amid fears about robots replacing human jobs, South Korea could become the first country in the world to introduce a "robot tax."

由于害怕机器人取代人类工作造成大规模失业，韩国可能会成为世界首个推出“机器人税”的国家。

A new proposal could see the country reduce the amount of tax benefits for companies that invest in automated machinery.

一项新提议提出韩国政府减少对投资自动化机械企业的税收优惠。

So while it's not exactly a direct tax on robots, it looks like the government is making investment in robotics less appealing for companies.

尽管政府并不是直接向机器人征税，但看起来政府将降低企业投资机器人的意愿。

South Korea has the highest concentration of robots in the world, with 531 multipurpose industrial robots for every 10,000 employees in the manufacturing industry.

韩国制造业中，工人和机器人的比例是一万比531，是世界上机器人使用密度最高的国家。

"Though it is not about a direct tax on robots, it can be interpreted as a similar kind of policy considering that both involve the same issue of industrial automation," an industry source told news outlet The Korea Times.

一位业内人士告诉《韩国时报》：“虽然不是直接对机器人征税，但因为同样涉及工业自动化的问题，所以可以看作类似的政策。”

Currently, South Korean companies that invest in automation equipment can have up to 7 percent of their corporate tax rate deducted. The new ruling however, will see this cut by up to 2 percent.

目前，韩国政府对投资工业自动化设备的企业提供税收减免，幅度最高达7%。但新税收政策出台后，税率最多只能优惠2%。

But does South Korea really have a reason to be worried?

韩国是否只是杞人忧天呢？

Perhaps so. The country's unemployment rate hit a 17-year high earlier this year, with some 1.17 million jobless people.

恐怕不是。今年，韩国的失业率创下17年来新高，失业人口约为117万。

It's difficult to say if the increase in unemployment rate is actually linked to an increase in automation, but at the very least, the money saved from reducing the tax incentives could be channelled to welfare programs.

很难说失业率上升是否真的与自动化程度提高有关，但至少可以说，从降低税收激励节省出来的资金可以用于社会福利项目。

But this isn't the first time the idea of a "robot tax" has been suggested.

不过，征收“机器人税”并不是什么新鲜事。

In February, Bill Gates came out in favour of introducing similar measures, saying that working robots should be taxed at a similar rate to their human counterparts.

今年二月，比尔•盖茨就公开支持对机器人征税，并表示工作机器人应该缴纳与它们的人类同事一样多的税。

"For a human worker who does $50,000 worth of work in a factory, the income is taxed," Gates had told news outlet Quartz.

“如果一个人类工人在工厂创造了五万美元的产值，赚到的钱要缴税。”盖茨告诉《石英》杂志。

"If a robot comes in to do the same thing, you'd think that we'd tax the robot at a similar level."

“如果一个机器人做了同样的事情，我们应该以类似税率对机器人征税。”

Gates was later criticised for his comments, with some saying he was "holding back progress."

之后便有人对盖茨的言论提出批评，有人说他是“阻碍进步”。

South Korea's current tax laws are set to expire at the end of the year, after which the new proposals are expected to take effect.